A Methodology to Assess the Economic Returns of Advanced Control Projects

This paper summarizes the experience gained during several studies of instrumentation revamp in refining and petrochemical processes. The major benefits of modern instrumentation come from advanced control and process optimization, not from personnel reduction. General guidelines are given to help identifying areas with the best savings potential, sizing these benefits and assessing the risks of the implementation. The method is illustrated with examples from a recent study of a Crude Unit including furnaces, heat exchanger train and binary distillation. The methodology presented here applies also to similar projects in other industries.